Process of using hydrazones as bird repellents



3,474,175 Patented Oct. 21 1969 United States Patent ice ABSTRACT OF THEDISCLOSURE Compositions comprising hydrazones are found to be repellentto birds. By spreading these compositions on a locus, such as the normalroosting places, the birds are repelled therefrom.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to Class 167, Medicines,Poisons and Cosmetics; Subclass 46, Animal Poisons.

DESCRIPTION 'OF THE PRIOR ART The closest known prior art is US. Patent3,055,803 patented Sept. 25, 1962, by Goodhue et al., where certaindiyne diols are employed in the same manner as the present materials asbird repellents. This patent is classified on its face as in Class 167,Subclass 46. The present invention substitues hydrazones for the diynediols of the prior art, which is an unexpected substitution, as thechemicals substituted were not known to be equivalent to those replacedby them. It is patentable invention to enlarge the field of chemicalsuseful as bird repellents.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Certain birds, especially starlings, are agreat nuisance especially in large cities where they roost in a locussuch as on ledges on buildings in large numbers. The expense in cleaningthe buildings runs into thousands of dollars a year in each city and theappearance of the buildings is quite bad, along with the danger topeople passing by as to contamination by and possible sicknesscontracted from the bird droppings.

Compositions comprising hydrazones are found to be repellent to birds.By spreading these compositions on normal roosting places, the birds arerepelled therefrom and may leave the neighborhood.

One object of the present invention is to repel birds from desiredtreated loci, or normal roosting places.

Another object is to provide processes for repelling birds.

Numerous other objects, advantages and features of the present inventionwill be obvious to those skilled in the art upon reading the followingdescription and claims.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS This invention relates to birdrepellents, and especially to a method for discouraging birds fromresting on a particular surface.

In accordance with this invention, birds are discouraged from resting ona particular surface by applying to said surface a hydrazone having theformula R C=NNR where R is at least one member selected from the groupconsisting of hydrogen and alkyl, cycloalkyl, and aryl radicals, andcombinations thereof such as ralkaryl radicals, aralkyl radicals and thelike, each R preferably having not more than 8 carbon atoms, with thefurther provision that the two R radicals taken together can representan alkylene radical having 2 to about 16 carbon atoms; and R is at leastone member selected from the group consisting of hydrogen and alkylradicals preferably having not more than 4 carbon atoms. It is presentlypreferred that R be hydrogen.

The bird repellents of this invention can be applied to a particularsurface as the pure substances or in combination with a carrier or inertmaterial. For example, the repellents can be applied in the form of asolution or emulsion in a solvent orcarrier such as water," acetone,alcohol, dimethyl sulfoxide, kerosene, hydrocarbons which boil betweenabout 260 to 800 F., and the like. If desired, emulsifying or wettingagents can be present.

.. The repellents can also be applied as dusts, using solid carrierssuch as kieselguhr, talc, silica gel, molecular sieves,, diatomaceousearth, and the like. In addition, the repellents can be applied inconjunction with an adhesive to the surface from which birds are to berepelled. Suitable adhesives include latex, gelatin, methyl cellulose,polyisobutylene and petrolatum. These repellents can also be used insolvents and fed to the locus through a suit? able porous wick of cottonor'the like.

The bird repellents of this invention can be applied in any convenientmanner, such as by spraying, brushing, dusting, etc.

The bird repellents of this invention are applied to surfaces from whichbirds are to'be repelled in a manner so as to deposit an amountpreferably within the range of about 0.01 to 10 grams of the activerepellent substance per square foot of surface treated. Larger amountsof the repellent, of course, can be used.

EXAMPLE I The repellency of benzophenone hydrazone was tested by thestandard two-roost test. 'In this test a cage 32 inches wide, 36 incheshigh and 72 inches long was provided with two perches across its width,each perch 32 inches long and 12 inches from the adjacent end. Roostingon the floor was discouraged by flooding the floor with water. Exhausthoods were placed above each perch and were actuated by fans to draw offany vapors so they could not be deleterious to the other perch. Fourlive and healthy starlings were placed in each cage and observed througha peephole in an adjacent screen (which prevented the birds from seeingthe observer) after 60, 75, 90, and minutes had elapsed. Withoutrepellents there should be two birds on each perch, which multiplied bythe number of five observations should be a score of 10 for each perch.A score of 4 or less on the treated perch is considered to demonstratesome repellency, and a score of 3 or less on the treated perch isconsidered to show sufficient repellency to be an excellent repellent.Benzophenone hydrazone, having the formula was even better than 3 withan average score of 2.4 on the treated perch in four tests of fiveobservations each. In contrast, the following materials had norepellency at all, having scores of average values between 9 and 11:3-dimethylaminopropyl dithiocarbamic acid, acetyl-flmethyl cholinechloride, dimaleic anhydride condensate of cyclopentadiene, adipic aciddihydrazide.

In each of the above tests, 2 grams of the chemical tested was appliedevenly to the perch that was observed through the peephole. A score offrom 9 to 11 indicates substantially no repellency whatsoever, as thebirds are free to move Where they please at all times throughout thetest.

EXAMPLE II The test described in Example I is repeated using about 0.01to 10 grams per square foot of the treated perch of the followinghydrazones and mixtures thereof as the active ingredient and repellencyis noted. When 5 grams or more of these active ingredients are used onthe treated perch, the score on the treated perch in five observationswill be found to be 3 or less.

These active ingredients effective as bird repellents in Example II forthe practice of this invention include formaldehyde hydrazone,acetaldehyde hydrazone, propionaldehyde methylhydrazone, butyraldehydeethylmethylhydrazone, Z-methylvaleraldehyde hydrazone, nonanalhydrazone, cyclohexanecarboxaldehyde hydrazone, 2-ethylcyclopentanecarboxaldehyde hydrazone, benzaldehyde hydrazone,p-tolualdehyde isopropylhydrazone, phenylacetaldehyde hydrazone, acetonehydrazone, 2- butanone hydrazone, 2-methyl-4-heptanone propylhydrazone,6-dodecanone hydrazone, 9-heptadecanone dibutylhydrazone, cyclohexylmethyl ketone hydrazone, cyclopentylmethyl ethyl ketone hydrazone,acetophenone hydrazone, benzophenone hydrazone, ethyl m-tolyl ketonehydrazone, benzyl propyl ketone hydrazone, cyclopropanone hydrazone,2-methylcyclopentanone sec-butylhydrazone, cyclohexanone hydrazone,cyclododecanone hydrazone, cycloheptadecanone hydrazone, and the like.

In producing an effective bird repellent composition from 1 to 99percent and preferably 1 to 25 percent by weight of the activeingredient can be employed with the remainder of the compositioncomprising the selected carrier. The carrier, as stated in the third tofifth paragraphs under the subtitle Description of Preferred Embodimentsabove, is selected from the group consisting of water, acetone, alcohol,dimethyl sulfoxide, kerosene, hydrocarbons boiling between 260 and 800F., latex,

gelatin, methyl cellulose, polyisobutylene, petrolatum, kieselguhr,talc, silica gel, molecular sieves, and diatomaceous earth. All suchcompositions are effective as bird repellents in Example II for thepractice of this in vention.

Having described our invention, we claim:

1. A method of repelling birds from a building surface which comprisesdepositing on the surface of the building from which the birds are to berepelled a repellent amount of a hydrazone having the formula R &NNRwhere R is at least one member selected from the group consisting ofhydrogen, alkyl, cycloalkyl, aryl, alkaryl, and aralkyl, each R havingnot more than 8 carbon atoms, with the further provision that the two Rswhen taken together may represent alkylene having 2 to 16 carbon atoms;and R is at least one member selected from the group consisting ofhydrogen and alkyl having not more than 4 carbon atoms.

2. The method of claim 1 in which the hydrazone is benzophenonehydrazone, having the formula H-N-H References Cited Fine ChemicalsPatents Journal 6 No. 12, British (3-25-66) 260/566 (British Patent NO.1,021,002).

ALBERT T. MEYERS, Primary Examiner V. D. TURNER, Assistant Examiner

